Canadian Liaison Office Assists Labour Ministry’s Relief Efforts In Manchester

Several residents in Manchester have received much-needed hurricane relief supplies from the Ministry of Labour and Social Security.

The items, which include mattresses and care packages containing food and other essential supplies, were handed over by a team led by portfolio Minister, Hon. Pearnel Charles Jr, which visited several of the most severely affected communities in the parish on Wednesday (November 12) to do damage assessments.

Among the delegation were four liaison officers from the Jamaica Liaison Service in Canada.

Minister Charles Jr. praised the four for returning to Jamaica and giving back from their personal resources.

“What we have here is true collaboration with the Ministry of Labour and Social Security. They came into Jamaica at their own cost when they heard about the hurricane relief, to assist their own Ministry with relief and distribution. I want to say thank you to them,” he told JIS News.

“They are here for about two weeks,” he said.

Liaison Officer, Sachelle Kellier, told JIS News that the team in Canada was moved to act after seeing the devastation caused by the hurricane, particularly the farming community, some of whom are part of the Canadian Seasonal Agricultural Workers Programme (SAWP).

She said it was heart-wrenching to see that many hard-working farm workers not only lost the roofs for their houses but also their entire crops and their farms in some cases.

“We believe in being of service to our country and our Government, and we have also faced disasters and know what our farm workers have gone through. We are there for our farm workers in Canada, so we have to be here for them in Jamaica as well. A lot of our farm workers [now in Canada] expressed to us, as well, that they wanted to play a role in giving back,” Ms. Kellier said.

The team of four, which also included Steve Brown, Janice Andrews Christon and Richard Saunders, will be assisting the Ministry’s relief efforts across the island, including doing damage assessments.

Warren McFarlane, a farm worker who was in Canada during the passage of Hurricane Melissa, told JIS News that the Liaison Office assisted him in reuniting with his family in Jamaica after the hurricane.

“So, it’s not just about the food that they have given us and our families but also other major things they have assisted us with,” he said.